Victorian Greenhouses at Normanby

I should have been Christmas shopping yesterday………but couldn’t face the parking and crowds and went with Ian and Finn over to Normanby instead…it felt like I’d twagged school!……All was quiet there, hardly anyone around so I took my camera into the greenhouses to see what was going on and was pleasantly surprised.

Inside the heated greenhouse this beautiful Sparmannia greeted us…I had seen one only a few days before on Gray’s photos.

Hidden amongst the greenery this gorgeous Strelitzia was flowering and also a plant which looked very much like a huge Impatiens!

A red Abutilon was enjoying the warm air as much as we were. Next to the palms was this most unusual succulent type plant just coming into flower….maybe someone will know it’s name?

I liked the idea that they had of lining some of the walls with mirrors which made it look full of greenery and twice as big. Next was the cool greenhouse with pots of pelargoniums sheltering on the staging.

The height of the glasshouse must have been about 20feet and growing against the wall this beautiful pink Passion flower…Cerrulea…..was still in bloom. Pots of Streptocarpus added colour too.

Then on to the Fernery. This was really interesting as the back wall was painted to imitate rock and water dripped down this to create the right conditions for the ferns.

Just a quick look inside the old gardeners work shops and the potting shed, also the old room where they would warm their hands round hot mugs of tea.
We really enjoyed the quiet stressfree morning………only thing is I have to go shopping tomorrow now!

Janey thanks for that lovely tour through the greenhouse. Wonderful photo's. I'd know what I would rather do than Xmas shoping......Yes, that is a protea, native to South Africa and Australia. They really have lovely plants there and love the workshop too.Great blog Janey.